Crate.



,nru rsn sra'rns PATENT G F T :WALTER A. nnwaans Ann VII-LLIAM. w.wnrrrnn, or vm'ron, IOWA.

CRATE.

- Application filed June 16, 1917. Serial No.'175,'228.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WVALrnR A. ED-

wanns and TVILLIAM WV. VVHIPPLE, citizens.

of the United States, residing at Vinton, in the county of Benton, Stateof Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Crates;and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and

exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to crates for shipping live stock.

The object of the invention is to provide a shipping crate which isparticularly adapted for the conveyance of hogs, in that the cratestructure permits the ready and thorough cleaning of the parts thereofto prevent a secretion of hog cholera germs. In carrying out theinvention, we also pro vide a crate which is designed to prevent theescape of hogs in shipment, thereby obviating a distinct disadvantage inthose wooden crates which have been heretofore known to us.

WVith the above objects in View, and such others relating to the detailsof construction, as may hereinafter appear, our invention will now befully set forth and described, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings:

In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of the crate, part of theside structure being broken away to more clearly disclose the assemblageof the device,

Fig. 2 is a section through the crate taken on line 22 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detailed view of the closure device, and

Fig. 5 is a view of a blank used in the construction of our improvedcrate.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 and 2 represent,respectively, the bottom and top frames of the crate structure. Each ofthe frames 1 and 2 being formed from a continuous length of angle iron,the blank shown in Fig. 5 being cut away as at 3 to permit the bar to bebent at right angles to form the corners of the frames. The frames 1 and2 are connected by means of the vertical angle bar sections 4, whoseends are seated inside of the corners of the frames 1 and 2, and aresecured Specification of Letters Patent.

than the others of the frame.

mated Nov. 13, 1917.

by means of the bolts 5. The bottom of the crate is formed preferably,by a' wooden board removably seated upon the angle iron frame 1, so thatthe bottom may be removed and cleaned at any time. The rectangularstructure thus built up is covered by a wire fabric 6 of the properweight, the ends of the strands being secured to the frames 1 and 2 andto the uprights 4, through which holes are bored to permit the insertionand twisting of the strands.

The entrance to the crate is through one end, and as a closure therefor,we have built up the frame shown in Fig. 4, consisting of the verticalbars 7 the upper and lower longitudinal bars 8 and the intermediatelongitudinal bar 9. The bar 9 is of greater width The ends of the bar 9extend beyond the sides of the crate, and are overturned at right anglesto the frame so as to overlie the longitudinal sides of the uprights 4.Then, tabs 10 thus formed by the overturned ends of the bar 9 overliethe uprights 4, and are coincidentally drilled to receive a transverserod 11, which extends entirely across the crate and has its free endthreaded to receive a tail nut 12, by means of which the rod istightened and the end piece secured in position. The upright bars 7 areslightly shorter than the height of the crate, so that their ends may beinserted behind the end pieces of the upper and lower frames 1 and 2,and when the openings through which the rod 11 is projected coincide,said ends of the bars 7 will be engaged behind the upper and lowerframes. At all times, however, the extremities of the bars 8 lie uponthe outsides of the uprights 4.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that we haveprovided an efficient crate for shipping live stock, and that the cratemay be most effectively constructed in sizes to accommodate hogs.Furthermore, the crate is a highly sanitary device and for this reasonalso particularly adapted for the shipment of hogs, since it can be keptentirely free of cholera germs. Then the crate has been unloaded, and isto be returned to the point from which it was initially shipped, it maybe takendown by removing the bolts 5 and tying the several partstogether in contact form.

What we claim as out invention is A shipping crate, comprising incombination, rectangular frames of angle iron, the standards and theoverturned ends of the inner faces of the angle iron structures the bar.being opposed, corner standards joining In testimony whereof, we aifixour signathe rectangular frames, a removable bottom tures in thepresence of two Witnesses.

5 rested on the lower frame, Wire fabric cover- WALTER A EDWARDS ing thestructure by leavin one end open and a latticed closure fitted to theopen end: WVILLIAM WHIPPLE' said closure including a bar having its endsoverturned to embrace the, adjacent corner 10 standards, and a lockingbolt passed through lVitnesses:

J. E. MANETTA, J. W. SCHAEFLE.

Copies 0! this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O.

